This area is a selection of pieces I have discovered and consistently return to throughout my time playing and thinking. These pieces in particular direct my practice and have helped shape my understanding of what musical expression and presence can be.
BY FRANCIS MOORE
Dai Fujikura is a composer, who while has composed lots for shakuhachi, made this saxophone piece which I find captivating. As a solo exploration of percussive and harmonic changes on a wind instrument, I often relate to this piece when improvising.
Katsuya Nonaka is my current shakuhachi teacher. He has spent 20 years working on his own style of playing, furthering the musical tradition that we are both part of and engage in every day. This Honkyoku song, Toppiki, is one of my favourite pieces he has taught me.
My project was directly catalysed by the shakuhachi player Yoshikazu Iwamoto, the performer of this piece. In 1993 Iwanmoto published an article detailing 'The Potential of the Shakuhachi in Contemporary Music'. My project is another way of exploring this potential.
This is a classical shakuhachi duet that I am currently learning. The way in which it uses 2 simple modes and changes between them to express some of the most beautiful music I have every heard is of constant curiosity to me.
Hal Walker is a Khaen player who is best known musically for playing the above song in various improvisational forms for years. As someone who spends a long time developing repeating musical ideas through daily improvisation, I relate to his pursuit.
I have included this instructional video by Alcvin Ramos as an example of how much shakuhachi I have learnt online, and how important that learning has been in forming my understanding of the instrument. While this understanding has been crucially developed by meeting the community around the world, and travelling to Japan, the internet has still played a huge roll.
Welcome to this Hotglue page showcasing my exploration of improvisational possibilities on the shakuhachi flute.
Some tips for using:
- To navigate around, scroll around with your mouse or trackpad. If you cannot scroll left to right, you can click and drag the bar at the bottom.
- If when watching a video, the YouTube graphics are in the way, either move your mouse away and the graphics will disappear after a few seconds, or click in an empty area in the video.
- There is an area to the top right. Have a look after exploring the motifs, or at any point if you interested in discovering some new music and learning about some of my influences.
- I realised that Hotglue's ability to play multiple videos at the same time means that you can create a combination of these musical ideas. Try mixing them together, or playing all developments from a motif at once...
Breakdown of this video:
1) Demonstration of the notes of each hole on the shakuhachi
2) Demonstration of a scale commonly used in Honkyoku.
3) Excerpt from a Honkyoku piece, Hi Fu Mi Hachigaeshi, Kinko-ryu style.
Clive Bell is the first shakuhachi player that I was enthralled by. His style seems to effortlessly blend harmonic quirks with beautiful melodies, which is something I strive for in my own way.
This song is a bagpipe improvisation, but unusually recorded through a contact microphone attached to a large gong. The resulting subtle effect reminds me of the ways in which the harmonics in shakuhachi shimmer and float in and out of sound.
Another bagpipe track, but very different, is this piece by Brìghde Chaimbeul. I am drawn to the hypnotic character of her music, through the use of intensely focused rhythm, and repetition. This is possibly my most listened to album in my life. IT also features Colin Stetson, a woodwind musician who inspires me greatly with his remarkable use of extended techniques to produce intensely emotional music.
Ko Ishikawa is a Sho player, which is another instrument originating from Japanese antiquity. This performance of his original music carries a tenderness in the small sounds and subtle deviations in tone that are important in my practice.
This is an improvisation by Brazilian Jazz/Folk musicians Hermeto Pascoal and Egbert Gismonti. As one of the most celebrated musicians in Brazilian Jazz, Hermeto Pascoal was able to bring so much life and energy to his music. The high flute sequence beginning at 2:15 preceding a very energetic performance is very inspiring to me and I have listened to it countless times.
Shabaka Hutchings is a musician that inspires me deeply with his dedication to creating music that never strays from a sincerity to his own voice, through whatever instrument he is playing. He has been playing the shakuhachi for around the same time as me, and interestingly has not learnt or taken on any traditional stylings or repertoire. Doing think I think has its limitations to what can be expressed on the shakuhachi, as there is such a variety of technique that Honkyoku can teach you.
1st Motif
2nd Motif
3rd Motif
Don't miss the bit up here!
Next motif
See below for some online resources on the shakuhachi
This way to the next motif
Developments
Developments
Developments
This website is an excellent tool for understanding the pitches of different sizes of shakuhachi. The shakuhachi I am playing on above is a 1.8 in D
This blogpost by Hélène Seiyu has some interesting tips, and is a good insight into the practice of another player